Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Question: What does the town of Olathe’s name mean?

Answer: Olathe’s name comes from the Shawnee word for “beautiful.” Originally, the town was named Colorow, after a Native American thought to be a Ute chief. Later, when it came to light that Colorow was actually a renegade Comanche horse thief, the town was renamed after Olathe, Kansas, the town Al Burkitt, a railroad agent, had come from.